ShaveTech USB Travel Shaver

For anyone who depends upon an electric shaver, the downside to traveling with one starts with the cord and charger. Then add in the correct adaptor plug when you’re packing for England, Morocco or Brazil or a jaunt through severeal countries on the same trip, each one requiring different plugs

That’s why the ShaveTech Rechargeable Travel Shaver is welcome. It’s about the size and shape of a cell phone but more importantly, has a flip out charger end that allows it to charge in the USB port of your computer. It takes about four hours to get it fully charged and will give you a couple of shaves before it needs to be recharged.

As for that other critical test of an electric shaver, the verdict is: not perfect but reasonably smooth.

ShaveTech USB Travel Shaver Proced at $29.95

-Everett Potter

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STM Grip for iPhone5

I’ve been a fan of STM products for a while — they make rugged, hard shell cases to protect iPads of all iterations. But I recently came across their Grip for iPhone 5. It is indeed a hard shell (polycarbonate plastic) with just the slightest bit of flexibility, with a raised bezel to protect the screen if you happen to lie it down on its face, which I’ve been known to do. But what’s cool about it is that while it has ridges (hence, the “Grip”), it’s amazingly lightweight and adds almost nothing to the weight of the phone itself. The truth is that once you buy a good phone case, it should do its job without reminding you it’s there every time you pick it up. For those of us who travel a lot and like to shove our phone in the nearest pocket or sleeve of a backpack, it’s a clear winner in the phone case race. Amazon has the STM Grip for $20 in a range of colors.

-Everett Potter

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Vagabond, Ireland

One of the best things about attending the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS)  every year is that I get to meet people who run small adventure travel companies from all over the globe.

Now wait, this is not as absurd as it sounds. If you live in the United States, as I do, and you’re interested in adventure travel, you probably know about Backroads, Butterfield & Robinson, Duvine, Ciclismo Classico and The Wayfarers. And maybe O.A.R.S., Mountain Travel Sobek and R.O.W.

These are all estimable companies. But I’m talking about small companies that may operate in one region or even a single country. Run by locals who have top notch operations and can offer you a terrific trip at a terrific price. They not only speak the local dialect, they may well have grown up there. And they can provide you with an insider’s view of the countryside no matter what sport you’re attempting.

At last October’s ATWS in Lucerne, Switzerland, I met and spoke with dozens of such operators. Here are three that I thought were standouts:

Oxalis Adventures

I love Japan and I have always wanted to see more of the countryside on foot. Enter Oxalis Adventures., an English company with one foot in Japan (so to speak) that offers such walking tours. Their signature trip is the “Nakasendo Trail,” which is four days of walking on a 12 day trip that covers Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. But for fitter types, they can take you off the beaten path on the “Kumano Ancient Trail,” a nine day trip with five days of moderate to strenuous walking on the sacred KiiPeninsula. The trip is priced from 2,145 UK pounds, (about $3,354) http://www.oxalis-adventures.com/

Vagabond

Vagabond offers small group adventure tours of Ireland. This is a world away from the “tour” of Ireland that your parents or grandparents did, the classic mad dash in a bus from Donegal to Waterford with time for tea in Dublin in between. Using specially designed Land Rivers, Vagabond does tours like the six day “The Edge of the World,” which visits the Dingle, Beara and Iveragh (Ring of Kerry) peninsulas, with hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and sea kayaking (additional charges for some of these activities). The price is E1039 (about $1,411).  They also offer a variety of other tours, including an eight day “Wild Irish Rover” tour that covers the southwest and west of Ireland and a seven day “North by Northwest” tour of the country. For those with limited vacation days – i.e. most Americans – the shorter tours are a godsend. http://vagabondtoursofireland.ie/vagabond/

SpiceRoads Cycle Tours

This company’s motto is “See Asia by Bicycle” and this strikes me as a great idea. “Riding Regal Rajasthan’ is a 12-day trip through one of India’s most colorful areas while “Cycling Sikkim’s Tea Trails” is a rugged trip for those who really want to explore one of Asia’s most remote countries. But no destination in Asia is hotter right now than Burma, so I’m intrigued by their “Burma Adventure,” a  14-day trip that goes to Bagan, Mandalay, and the shores of InleLake. Priced at $3,550, it would be an amazing way to see this extraordinary Asian kingdom up close.

http://www.spiceroads.com/

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By Gerrie Summers

Instead of writing I was pressing a button on the cable remote until it arrived at America’s Next Top Model (yes, really).  Fashion photographer/judge Nigel Barker smashed a huge fortune cookie against a table.  Inside would be the model contestants’ next adventure.  He pulled out a large slip of paper.   Hold your breath. Drum roll please.

Your fortune awaits you in Macau.

How odd that an itinerary, guide books and scribbled notes about Macau were spread out in front of me. Fellow writers know that sometimes it’s easier to visit a destination than to write about it, especially one with such a mix of cultures and history.

You know a destination has arrived when it appears on a reality TV show.  Joking aside, America’s Next Top Model has visited several exotic locations that populate my wish list.   China was on the list—I was thinking about the mainland, but a last minute invite to Macau was close enough.   I had been told it was an interesting place where Hong Kong businessmen came to gamble in the casinos.  (Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal).  A friend likened it to a Chinese Las Vegas.  It’s a description they’d rather do without.   Had I believed that this was all Macau offered, I probably wouldn’t have gone.  (The sci-fi geek in me believes the neon lights and lack of windows are part of an evil plot by casino owners to make us all into slot machine zombies.)

Macau (also spelled Macao) is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and like Hong Kong exists under the principle of “one country, two systems,” with its own set of laws.  It is comprised of the Macau Peninsula (connected to mainland China), the islands of Taipa and Coloane and a reclaimed area COTAI.  It is a distinct mix of colonial Portuguese architecture and ancient temples, Chinese villages and countryside, and modern hotels and casinos.

A Portuguese dance troop in Barra Square. Photo by Gerrie Summers.

Our tour guide was Joao Sales whom we met up with in the historic district (after taking a 60-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong).  The historic centre became an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, making it the 31^st site in China granted the status.  It spans eight squares and 22 historic buildings.  As we walked into Barra Square, a Portuguese dance troop was performing, with the A Ma Temple, the oldest and most famous temple in Macau, as a backdrop.

Fishermen from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the first known settlers in Macau.  Back then it was known as Ou Mun or “trading gate” because of its location at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou (Canton).  In the early 1550s the Portuguese reached Ou Mun, which the locals also called A Ma Gao (“place of A-Ma”) in honor of the Goddess of Seafarers, whose temple, built more than 500 years ago, stood at the entrance to the Inner Harbour.  (Another story suggests that when the Portuguese sailors arrived on the shores near the temple and inquired about the name of the land. The natives thought they were asking about the temple and told them A-Ma Gao, which later was transcribed by the Portuguese settlers to Macau.)

Pedicabs in Macau.

After visiting the nearby Maritime Museum and the A-Ma Temple, it was suggested that we take a pedicab ride along the West Bay to the Macau Military Club.  A pedicab, is a tricycle-rickshaw, a more leisurely, romantic (and slow) mode of transportation usually used by tourists.  The pedicabs date back to the 1930s when Macau was a fishing village and it was the public transportation for people and goods.

The Macau Military Club is housed in a Portuguese neo-classical building from the 19^th century with a mix of Chinese and western décor.  There is a restaurant inside that is open to the public and visitors come here for a taste of a typical Portuguese meal, cozido a Portuguesa that combines different sausages, meats, chicken, pork and beef served buffet style.

My favorite experiences in Macau involved the historical buildings and sites, and of course, the cuisine.  Here are some of the highlights:

Ruins of St. Paul’s. Photo by Gerrie Summers.

Culture & History:

Ruins of St. Paul’s.  Located in the Old Christian City, the Ruins of St. Paul’s is the façade of carved stone and steps that are all that remain of the Church of Mater Dei and the adjacent Jesuit College of St. Paul’s.   Both were destroyed in a fire in 1835.

Taipa Houses Museum – includes five typical houses with Macanese/Portuguese colonial architectural characteristics.  The Taipa Houses Museum was built in 1921, and had been the residences for high superior civil servants and Macanese families.  You can see reproduction period furniture, costumes, musical instruments, maps, pictures and memorabilia from Taipa and Coloane.

Handover Museum houses a collection of Chinese art that was crafted by provinces of China and presented to Macau as a welcome gift when Macau was handed back (or handed over) to China in 1999.

For fun:

Macau Science Center designed by architect IM Pei, has interactive exhibits and a planetarium with 3D projectors and seats with interactive controls.

Pandas on parade in Macau. Photo by Gerrie Summers.

Giant Panda Pavilion – The Giant Panda Pavilion is in Seac Pai Van Park. If you’re lucky, you might catch Kai Kai and Xin Xin pandas actually moving around (apparently they spend most of their time sleeping!)

Macau Tower has great views of Macau—and if you dare, try the Mast Climb and stand at the top of the tower after climbing up the mast’s vertical ladders, or the Sky Jump, the World’s highest bungee jump.

Shows & Entertainment

At City of Dreams, an entertainment resort in Cotai, there are two interesting shows:

The House of Dancing Water, a fabulous water/theatrical show at City of Dreams combining theater with high performance diving, gymnastics, motorcycle acrobats and strap performers.

The Bubble Show is the unofficial name of a multimedia show, Dragon’s Treasure, presented in The Bubble, a dome-shaped theater in City of Dreams.

Macau Venetian Hotel is like its own destination.  It is the world’s biggest casino resort, with gondola rides in the resort’s three canals, shopping (lots of designer shops—obviously there’s no recession here) and the Ice World Gallery, a temporary display of ice sculptures, which might be back this year.

Dining

You can find authentic Portuguese, Macanese (a wonderful combination of Chinese and Portuguese cuisine), Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese and international fare in Macau.

Tai Pai Tong Restaurant is an outdoor restaurant in Coloane Island, specializing in “street hawkers” Chinese sea food with names like “Pissing Prawns,” “Poc Poc Crab” and “Drunken Sauna Shrimp.”  The food was delicious, (although I wasn’t comfortable that some of it was looking back at me).

Café Litoral in Taipa Island, is a popular spot to enjoy a Macanese meal, including African chicken, a popular baked chicken dish with African and Indian spices and a sauce made with garlic and capsicum.

Manuel’s Restaurant offers Portuguese cuisine, including grilled bacalhau (made from dried codfish imported from Portugal).

Antonio Restaurant (Taipa Island) has scrumptious Portuguese cuisine like Portuguese grilled spare ribs, seafood rice, pata negra and bacalhau cakes.

The “8” Chinese Restaurant an elegant Michelin-rated (two stars) restaurant located in the Grand Lisboa Hotel, features Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisine and 50 kinds of dim sum.

Where To Stay

Altira Hotel, a view with a room.

Altira Hotel – Located in Taipa, Altira opened in April 2009.  The name is derived from the Latin word “altus” meaning high and Altira’s Chinese name Xin Hao Feng means “cutting edge”.   The contemporary-style hotel offers stunning panoramic views of the Macau Peninsula, from floor-to-ceiling windows that are a feature of every guestroom. www.altiramacau.com.

Galaxy Resort  - an entertainment and gaming resort, with three hotels has the world’s largest Skytop Wave Pool, several dining options, and of course, casinos and shopping.  Galaxymacau.com.

And by the way, fortune did await me in Macau at the Galaxy, although not at a casino.   Heading to my room one night, I found a Hong Kong bill on the floor.  For more good fortune in the future, it was donated to a family scholarship fund.

For more information on Macau, visit www.macautourism.gov.mo.

Gerrie Summers has been writing professionally for over 31 years in the areas of entertainment, beauty, lifestyle, travel and wellness. A New York-based writer, she has been the Travel Adventures columnist for Today’s Black Woman and now writes the blogs Summers Retreat and The Tranquil Traveler.

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The author, ready to paddle off the coast of Maui.

By Tom Passavant

When I set off walking down Kaanapali beach around 3 p.m. on a recent Friday afternoon, my interest in Hawaiian sailing canoes was pretty much just intellectual. I had come to Maui to learn why a bunch of 45-foot long canoes, faithful reproductions of ancient Polynesian vessels, were so important to Hawaii’s culture and people today.  Ten of these canoes were taking part in an annual race across the entire Hawaiian island chain, and during their layover in Maui I hoped to get a chance to paddle one of the boats. Mostly, though, I’d “talk story” with the crews and learn about sailing traditions and the skills required to get from one island to another.

Twenty minutes later, I’d been recruited by skipper Matt Buckman to help sail his canoe, the La’amaomao, about a mile up the beach, where the next day the fleet would take part in Kaanapali Beach’s 8^th annual sailing canoe festival, called Wa’a Kiakahi.  “We need some ballast,” Matt said, eyeing the whitecaps and the 20-knot winds. He forgot to mention that I’d also be the “sheeter”, the guy who holds the rope that controls the sail.

More than perhaps any other aspect of Hawaiian culture—including hula, surfing and the lyrical Hawaiian language—canoes are fundamental to who the Hawaiian people are and how they got to Hawaii in the first place. Tourists experience canoes via an outrigger ride at Waikiki beach, but locals paddle everything from sleek single seaters to four- and six-person racing canoes and even huge, double-hulled, twin-masted canoes capable of traversing thousands of miles of open ocean.

Ready to paddle.

“We realized there was no place on Maui for visitors to experience being on a canoe,” said Shelley Kekuna, executive director of the Kaanapali Beach Resort Association, which sponsors the three-day festival.  “This is an authentic Hawaiian experience that anyone can take part in.” Indeed, the mission of the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association [HSCA] is to “revive, educate and practice the ancient Hawaiian skills and values as they relate to the Hawaiian sailing canoe and its culture.”

At the moment, though, the educational experience I am most concerned about is keeping the La’amaomao from capsizing. As Matt struggles to steer with his big wooden paddle (the canoes lack both a keel and a rudder), I try to keep the sail under control. The strong offshore winds mean we’ll have to tack the canoe at some point, meaning I’ll have to jump from the trampoline-like net of the big ama across to the smaller “safety” outrigger on the other side of the hull. Eventually, soaking wet, I sort of get the hang of it and we sail far past our target before coming about and hurtling onto the beach.

When Captain James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778, he wrote of being greeted by a fleet of 3,000 canoes. “Canoes were used for inshore fishing, offshore fishing, travel along shorelines and between islands, and open ocean voyaging,” explained one of the Wa’a Kekahi crew members, Lemomi Kekian. When she’s not paddling, Lemomi teaches about voyaging canoes at a local community college. She also has the distinction of having crewed aboard Hokule’a, the most famous vessel in modern Hawaiian history. This 62-foot long, double-hulled canoe with twin sails, based on designs in ancient carvings, sailed to Tahiti and back in the mid-1970s, proving that ancient Polynesians had colonized the vast Pacific, including the Hawaiian islands.

Paddler Jane McKee.

Hokule’a, which has since completed dozens of voyages all over the Pacific, sails without any modern instruments at all, guided only by a navigator, or “wayfinder” whose skills are based on centuries of experience with the winds, waves, stars, and deep ocean currents. Hokule’a rewrote several centuries of misguided theory, showing that the Pacific islands were not colonized by aimless drifters on Kon Tiki-like balsa rafts launched from South America.  “That’s why we sail,” said Hokule’a’s first Hawaiian navigator, Nainoa Thompson. “So our children can grow up and be proud of who they are.  We are healing our souls by reconnecting with our ancestors.”

The day after my “holy sheet” shakedown cruise, I joined the Wa’a Kiakahi festivities and signed up for a short stint as a paddler on the Maui Jim boat. The crew members, both men and women, all look like they’ve just come back from a  “Pecs of the Pacific” photo shoot, and no wonder: paddling is a monster upper body workout. The race segments range from 30 to over 90 miles, across notoriously rough channels between the islands. No breaks for mai tais and pupus, either.

On Sunday morning, dozens of visitors and locals gather on the beach to watch the crews prepare to race to Molokai. The winds are still howling, and you can feel the tension as they eye the whitecaps just offshore. “This is not a young person’s sport,” notes Terri Galpin, HSCA president and captain of the all-woman boat Moa E Ku, which, appropriately, means “strong trade wind.” “To survive, you need to learn to leave all your mental baggage on the shore.” She ought to know: she and her crew once capsized off Oahu in fog and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard.

Finally, the sails are hoisted and the canoes pushed to the shoreline. Everyone, crewmembers and tourists alike, forms a circle and joins hands. Makalapua Kanula, cultural advisor for the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort, offers blessings in Hawaiian and English. “You sail in the footsteps of our kapuna [elders],” she says. “May the winds be at your backs.” Then a whistle blows, and the boats, their sails snapping, crews paddling furiously, surge into the sea.

If You Go:

The Kaanapali Beach Resort area abounds with opportunities to connect with Hawaiian culture. Special programs highlighting dance, songs, star gazing, and historical walking tours abound. For more information about the resort and the Wa’a Kihaki festival, go to kaanapaliresort.com.

There are several hotels and condominium properties lined up along Kaanapali’s three miles of golden beach. I stayed at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, set on 23 acres (!) of prime beachfront. The hotel, celebrating its 50^th anniversary next year, is in tip-top shape. Don’t miss the sunset cliff dive from the 30-foot high Black Rock, a leap whose ideal accompaniment is a Cliff Dive Bar mai tai. Information: sheraton-maui.com.

Tom Passavant is a former editor-in-chief of Diversion magazine. Now a freelance travel and food writer based in Colorado and Hawaii, his work has appeared in Aspen Magazine, Gourmet, Four Seasons Magazine, Town & Country Travel, ForbesTraveler.com, Ski, Powder, Luxury Living, and many other places. He is the co-author of “Playboy’s Guide to Ultimate Skiing.” A former president of the New York Travel Writers Association, Passavant has won a Lowell Thomas Award for his travel writing and has served as judge for the James Beard Journalism Awards. See more of Tom’s work at TomPassavant.com.

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Waterfront at Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake, Maine. Photo by John Grossmann.

By John Grossmann

Except for about a half hour hiking some of the trails, and a blissful hour on a massage table, and, oh yes, a post-swim stint in a wood-fired sauna, I never lost sight of Sebago Lake during a recent two-day getaway to Migis Lodge. So it is for most guests at this venerable New England summer resort, which opened in 1916 as a fishing lodge called National Camps with 11 cabins named for states.  New owners renamed it Migis (My’ gus) in 1924, borrowing the Abenaki Indian word for “the place to steal away to rest.” It is precisely that.  And considering that many of Maine’s lakes might justifiably be called Remote or Faraway, it’s definitely a plus that Sebago is less than an hour’s drive west of Portland.

Cottage at Migis Lodge

Reading on the porch of our one bedroom cottage, the clear waters of the state’s second largest lake lapped the shore only 30 yards away.  Many of the weekend meals, including a traditional lobster cookout, were eaten en plein aire at water’s edge at picnic tables on a pretty point shaded by towering white pines. My wife and I kayaked.  Took a cruise on the inn’s restored 1936 Chris Craft, the Tykona, Sebago’s mail boat in a former life.   And I relaxed near the lodge in an Adirondack chair, repeatedly lowering my magazine to gaze between the column-like trunks of the pines to a quintessential New England tableau:  blue waters, green islands in the foreground, and mountains in the distance—here, the foothills of  New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Sebago soothed me.

In summer, Migis Lodge fills with families, many of which have been coming for generations.  Ownership of the 125-acre resort is also deeply rooted and unmistakably hands-on.   The jovial chap with the St. Nick beard dishing out steamed lobsters and come dessert strawberry shortcake at Saturday night’s cookout turns out to be Tim Porta, whose parents bought the place in 1968.  Porta and his wife have been in charge for 34 summers, nowadays with the help of their son Jed.  “There used to be 17 inns on the lake. We’re the last full service inn,” Porta says, after setting aside his serving spoon and joining some of his guests at a picnic table.

Much at Migis remains little changed over the years.  Sport coats (though no longer ties) are still required for men at dinner in the dining hall.  Guests sit at the same table for each meal, with coveted spots by the windows typically reserved for families with the most tenure.  The inn, like very few resorts in the land, still operates on the full American Plan.  Cabin boys dutifully replenish cottage ice buckets. The array of bottles for the evening cocktail hour looks right out of Mad Men.  Televisions didn’t make it into the rooms until 1985.  Today, the updated, stylishly rustic rooms have flat screens, which a few tradition-minded regulars request be removed before their arrival.  Migis now boasts an open-air fitness room.  And a Wi-Fi umbrella keeps those-who-must connected to the outside world.

Boats and canoes are waiting.

But with all meals included, three lakeside clay tennis courts, a flotilla of canoes, kayaks, rowboats, motorboats and a water-ski boat, even standup paddleboards waiting on the shore, the workaday world soon recedes.  Golfers do need to head offsite a few miles, but the typical Migis guest never retrieves his or her car, except, possibly, for a rainy day pilgrimage to nearby L.L. Bean.  “When they arrive,” says Porta, “they throw their car keys on the dresser and never leave.”

First timers are often a meal or two into their stay before they’re scratching their head. Where did I…?  Did I get…? The resort’s 35 cottages and six rooms at the lodge lock only from the inside.  Migis has no room keys. Cottage entrances are generally left open to their screen door, as homes in small towns. Idyllic? Wild blueberries can be plucked from bushes alongside some of the walking paths.  Wednesday’s mid-day meal is served on a nearby island.  The Tykona ferries most guests, but some chose to work up an appetite by paddling to lunch.  Or swimming the mile to the island—a family tradition within a tradition for a few regularly returning clans.

Sauna at Migis. Photo by John Grossmann.

After Labor Day, Migis becomes more of a couple’s retreat and a wedding venue.  But in summer, it caters especially to families, many of which reserve the same week every year—and have longstanding friendships with other families that do likewise.  Julie Hall, who is 78, recalls staying here with her parents and her father’s parents, who first came to Migis Lodge in 1924.  And now she comes—always the last week in June—with her children and their children.  That makes five generations carrying on their own Migis-inspired traditions, like wrestling on the dock and the de rigueur pre-breakfast swim.  “On my mother’s 90^th birthday, we had a birthday party for her at Migis,” says Hall.  “She needed help, but she was determined to go for an early morning dip.

“What do I like most? Lots of things,” she says, pausing.  “Matter of fact, I asked one of my grandchildren that, and he started naming things till he finally said, ‘Oh, it’s just everything.’ I think we all love the fact you park your cars on the outskirts and you don’t have any automobile traffic the whole time you’re there.  I love that it is so beautiful and peaceful and there are so many trees.  And it’s wonderful to be spoiled.  There’s nothing to do except relax and have a good time.  And the people are absolutely wonderful.

“This was the first year we were there without my husband, who died last September. The first time Tim saw me—it was at the outdoor lunchtime–he came right around and gave me a great big hug and told me how sorry he was.  I don’t even know how he knew.  I got a really nice note from Tim and his wife Joan and they made a contribution in my husband’s memory to a nearby camp for kids who are struggling with cancer.”

Migis Lodge.

At the end of each stay, settling her bill, Hall always writes a second check—a deposit to reserve next year’s stay in the same cottages—Whippoorwill and Beach—the family’s lodging for last 13 years.  That way, when her children or grandchildren ask, “What about next year?” she can say they’re already booked.

It’s not often that a wall hanging actually helps you put your finger on the spirit of a place, but a framed poster from The Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute in the bathroom of our cottage effectively did just that, implying that a Sebago Lake stay at Migis, with its 3,500 feet of shoreline, offers more than a getaway. Beneath an evocative photo appeared the words of someone who spent quite a bit of time around inland bodies of water inNew England. “A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature,” wrote Henry David Thoreau.  “It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.”

Migis Lodge, PO Box 40, South Casco, Maine 04077
(207) 655-4524

John Grossmann has written about food and travel for Gourmet, Cigar Aficionado, Saveur, and SKY. He was a finalist in the food journalist category of the 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards. He is the co-author, with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, of the book One Square Inch of Silence, (Free Press).

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Masterpiece exterior depicting the façade of the Royal Hospital Chelsea

By Sallie Brady

“Where is the tent?” asked one fair-goer. “I thought this fair was in a tent.”

“You’re standing in it,” replied another.

It was the opening gala three year’s ago now of the inaugural edition of London’s Masterpiece Fair.  Held in a stunning custom-built marquee, the facade so well replicated the red brick architecture of Chelsea, most visitors thought they were housed in bricks and mortar.

This is not your ordinary antiques affair. Founded by a handful of London’s tip-top antique furniture dealers, the idea was to combine the absolute finest of art, antiques and jewelry with luxury goods and some high-end whimsy. So, this year, you can shop for a bronze cast of Rodin’s The Kiss, never before on public view, selling with the Sladmore Gallery; or come home with a rare 1,000 B.C. Egyptian sarcophagus coffin, complete with its mummy board being sold by the Safani Gallery; or drive away in the custom Rolls-Royce that the British carmaker debuts here annually.

Prince Harry contemplates a Monet

There is also antique furniture, 20^th-century design, contemporary photography, antiquities, paintings, sculpture, vintage jewelry, ceramics, even a collection of 600 mechanical pencils from the Victorian era that is being sold as a set by John Bull Antiques. Any takers?

Of all the fairs of London’s Season, Masterpiece draws the most glam clientele with the likes of Elton John, Paul Smith, Prince Harry, Uma Thurman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Princess Michael of Kent, Tom Ford, and Anish Kapoor wandering the airy aisles. Entry is L20; June 28 to July 4.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower London

Where to Stay:London hotel rates can be frightful and too often I’ve booked one of those too-good-to-be-true on Travelocity and drained my bank account on taxis journeying back-and-forth to Siberia. A decent rate in a good location with value-added extras can actually be a good strategy. Jumeirah CarltonTower is a five-star in Knightsbridge within walking distance of Harrod’s,Sloane Square, and a fast taxi to Masterpiece. The Jumeirah brand, which is out of Dubai, and might not be as well known points west, is always top-notch. This hotel also offers something extraordinary for London, The Peak, a serious health club that includes a generous pool with laned swimming under an airy glass atrium, as well as Jacuzzis and steam rooms; a rooftop state-of-the-art gym, also enclosed in glass; and a golf simulator and swing coach. Jumeirah Carlton House guests are complimentary members for all sans the golf. For anyone who wants to keep consistent with a workout, shake off jet-lag, or just have a warm soak after a day of hideous English weather, it’s bliss.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower; Cadogan Place; 011.44.20.7235.1234; Pre-booked rooms starting from L180.

A Late-Night Bite in Chelsea: MostLondon restaurants don’t serve dinner after10 p.m.. Always trying to push out my day–and of course, originating from a slightly earlier time zone–it’s nice to discover an eatery that serves late. PJ’s Bar in Grill inChelsea is a convivial English take on a brasserie, where you can order anything from Loch Fyne oysters to steak frites to moules provencale. The owner’s vintage polo kit collection hangs about, as well as a massive World War I airplane propeller. Monday through Saturday PJ’s closes at12 p.m., with last order taken at11:30 p.m.; on Sunday last order taken at10:30 p.m. for11 p.m. closing.

P.J.’s Bar & Grill; 52 Fulham Road; 011.44.20.7581.0025.

Traveler’s Tip: Don’t stop for lunch before coming to Masterpiece. The fair’s pop-up restaurants are mini-mes of some of the poshest tables in the English capital. At Le Caprice you could find yourself dining next to Mick Jagger or Prince Harry, and there’s also Scott’s Seafood, Harry’s Bar, and the Mount Street Deli–Princess Alexandra–the fair patron and Queen’s cousin–fancies their brownies.

Sallie Brady writes about travel and also covers the international art, antiques and design markets. A former editor at GQ, House Beautiful, This Old House, and travel editor at Bride’s, she contributes to Conde Nast Traveler, ForbesLife, Veranda, Art & Antiques, Business Traveler, 1stdibs.com, New York Spaces and has contributed to Esquire, The New York Times, Travel+Leisure.com, and other publications. Previously she was the New York correspondent for the inflight magazine for British Airways’ Concorde passengers.

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Night at Art Antiques London

By Sallie Brady

It’s the second week of London’s June antiques fair season and every dealer in town is on the look-out for their most coveted shopper: Oprah! The monosyllabic megastar began frequenting the London in June antiquing season a couple of years ago, arranging to visit the Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair (see last week’s Letter from London), and Art Antiques London, which opens June 14, before they opened to the public.

Last year, Oprah arrived at the luxury marquee in Kensington Gardens that is Art Antiques London with her dogs in tow. She shopped while they enjoyed a walk in the park. Sitting under the shadow of the glittering Royal Albert Memorial, just across from the Royal Albert Hall, this fair is an intimate, elegant event that caters to everyone from the world’s top museum curators of ceramics–a fair specialty–to well-heeled Kensington types who arrive to browse and end up buying.

Browsers at Art Antiques London

Welcoming, and not in the least bit stuffy, the fair is organized by London-based Brian and Anna Haughton, who for more than 20 years have staged the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show in October in New York at the Park Avenue Armory. In London, they’ve curated a mix of 70 dealers of paintings, sculpture, drawings, antique furniture, silver, and Asian works of art. The jewelry offerings are particularly stunning, everything from rare Indian Mughal jewelry dripping with emeralds, rubies and pearls, sold by Samina; to impossibly chic one-of-a-kind vintage pieces made by the late London jeweller, Andrew Grima, who counted Jackie Onassis and Princess Margaret among his client list. His wife and daughter of the Grima gallery are showing here.

The fair also has a lecture program, with talks on ceramics by leading museum curators. Want to know what’s in the Queen’s cupboard? Jonathan Marsden, the keeper of the Royal Collection will tell you.

Art Antiques London is on through June 20, 2012; L15 admission.

The Milestone, London

Where to Stay: In some destinations, a solid budget hotel is ideal–you’re never in the room and all you need is a clean, safe, comfortable place to sleep. In others, like London, I can feel a little destinational-aspirational even if it means splashing out a few extra bob to have a retreat for a night, or two, that feels like my own little Kensington Palace apartment. Especially if it’s a chilly, rainy evening in the capital (yes, even in June) That’s the atmosphere at The Milestone, a Kensington Palace neighbor, by the way, consistently topping readers’ poll lists in both Conde Nast Traveler and Travel+Leisure., The boutique, red-brick hotel combines quintessential English style and decor with sincere service–and it’s literally across the street from Art Antiques London–no taxi fare. Let the raindrops fall, just put your feet up by the roaring fire in the salon, sip a glass of sherry, exhale, and live London.

A cozy night in at The Milestone

A Good Night In: If I’m staying in a really lovely hotel, I want to enjoy it. Too often it’s a hurried check-in, appointments or touring all day, dinner out and next thing I know I am checking out, and I’ve only seen the lobby and the elevator. At The Milestone I like to tuck into the Egyptian cotton sheets with the Telly’s remote control and the room service menu. The hotel’s top selling item? Chicken noodle soup–made according to the hotel owner, Bea Tollman’s personal recipe. These days her chicken curry and chicken pot pie are also on the menu. If you find dinner tasty, Mrs. Tollman’s recent cookbook, A Life in Food, is sold at the hotel.

The Milestone, 1 Kensington Court; 011.44.20.7917.1000

Traveler’s Tip: While making the rounds at antiques fairs make it a point to sign a gallery’s guest book that’s often open on a table in a dealer’s  booth. This time next year you just mind find complimentary fair tickets in the mail–a great excuse for a return trip toLondon.

   Sallie Brady writes about travel and also covers the international art, antiques and design markets. A former editor at GQ, House Beautiful, This Old House, and travel editor at Bride’s, she contributes to Conde Nast Traveler, ForbesLife, Veranda, Art & Antiques, Business Traveler, 1stdibs.com, New York Spaces and has contributed to Esquire, The New York Times, Travel+Leisure.com, and other publications. Previously she was the New York correspondent for the inflight magazine for British Airways’ Concorde passengers.

The post Letter from London: Art Antiques London appeared first on Everett Potter's Travel Report.

The Olympia Fair, London

By Sallie Brady

For more than a decade now I’ve set off around this time to do London in June. The Season,  as it’s known, typically includes Ascot and Wimbeldon and Henley, but also some of  London’s top art and antiques fairs. The tradition goes back more than 75 years when the British aristos dusted off their pearls and left their dogs and stables at their country piles to head into London to shop the antiques fairs, maybe for a pair of Chippendale chairs, an English watercolor, or a Chinese snuff bottle for the collection.

As a journalist covering the art and antiques markets, as well as travel, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of the London antiques fair world. What I’ve learned is that you don’t need to be a collector or have a big bank account to enjoy an antiques fair. Most are staged in pleasant settings, have excellent pop-up restaurants where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch or maybe a flute at the Champagne Bar, and there’s no shortage of beautiful things to admire. An antiques fair is a great place to train your eye and also learn by chatting up dealers who never tire of discussing their stock–even if they know you’re not a potential buyer. This month we’ll visit all three fairs with Everett Potter’s Travel Report.

Today, June 7, while the Queen is no doubt resting her feet after her Diamond Jubilee marathon weekend, the 2012 London fair season gets underway when the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair opens and runs through June 17. Held in the Grand Hall of an airy Victorian exhibition pavillion at Earls Court, Olympia has been going for 40 years now and is the most democratic of the June fairs, with pieces that range from L100 to L1 million, being offered by almost 200 dealers.

Some of the treasures at The Olympia Fair, London

This is a very English fair, with lots of English furniture dealers, along with clocks, jewelry, ceramics, glass, and wonderfully quirky things such as fossils, antique canes with ivory dog heads, campaign furniture, even aeronautica -– think a Boeing 727 Pratt and Whitney engine transformed into a mirror. There are also plenty of painting and sculpture dealers, especially modern British art, and some great examples of 20^th-century furniture and lighting. And for anyone who still has Jubilee fever, you can go home with Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee fan that was signed in 1887 by 42 members of the royal families of Europe who were attending her Jubilee banquet. Sophie Dupre is selling it.

Advance tickets L10, at the door, L14.

Room with a view at the Hilton London Kensington

Where to Stay: For a number of years now, the Hilton London Kensington has been my go-to London hotel, not just when I am visiting Olympia — because it’s just a short walk away — but also when I need reasonably priced accommodations in a pinch–especially off-season. While it’s not in the West End or Knightsbridge, the hotel is in Kensington along Holland Park Avenue and its many bus routes. Anyone with a car will appreciate that the hotel is outside of the congestion-charge zone. Travelocity consistently offers specials here, and the recently refurbished rooms are comfortable and function well. Use your Hilton Honors Points to book an executive room, a good value with inclusive wireless and access to an executive lounge that serves a complimentary hot full English breakfast buffet; sandwiches and cold meats and fruit and cheese at lunch; and a full bar and hot and cold canapes in the evening.

Hilton London Kensington 179-199 Holland Park Avenue; 011.44.207.603.3355

A Good Pub: Just a 10-minute walk from Olympia, The Jameson, on 43 Blythe Road in West Kensington (011.44.777.870.7000) is a discovery. Owned by a pair of saavy Irishmen who have also run pubs in New York, The Jameson is a locals’ favorite for the convivial atmosphere and outstanding pub food that is freshly made and reasonably priced. Try the very generous beef burger; the Bombardier ale-battered cod, served with mushy pieces and a bucket of chips; or the full English breakfast that’s served all-day long.

Traveler’s Tip: If you do stay at the Hilton London Kensington or in this area, and you’re headed to or from Heathrow, you’ll save by using a local car service, rather than a black cab. Call Brown’s Private Hire: 011.44.(0) 20.8749.5555.

  Sallie Brady writes about travel and also covers the international art, antiques and design markets. A former editor at GQ, House Beautiful, This Old House, and travel editor at Bride’s, she contributes to Conde Nast Traveler, ForbesLife, Veranda, Art & Antiques, Business Traveler, 1stdibs.com, New York Spaces and has contributed to Esquire, The New York Times, Travel+Leisure.com, and other publications. Previously she was the New York correspondent for the inflight magazine for British Airways’ Concorde passengers.

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Michaela, with Michael at the controls, somewhere over Kenya

“Travelers come to Africa for the animals,

On horseback at Borana

While the adventure offerings at Borana are vast, I was beginning to crave some human connection.  And boy did I come to the right place! For over 20 years, Michael has dedicated himself to helping teach and implement the importance of preservation, conservation, working with and supporting the community.  So much to my delight, Michael and Nicky also offer guests the opportunity to visit the tannery, where they employ and then teach local  disabled or blind  people the craft.

Dentist at the clinic.

And given their dedication to the local people, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that they also started a mobile medical clinic eight years ago.  They employ two nurses and a driver to visit the local villages across the Laikipia region, Monday-Friday.  These hardworking women treat over 20,000 patients per year—from vaccinations, HIV/AIDS education and notably planned parenthood.

An observer at the Unity Cup

While these projects were impressive, I was both honored and floored when Michael and Nicky kidnapped me for a day.  On the very bumpy, curvy drive, we passed through multiple villages and by people who had literally nothing.

Imagine my surprise when our final destination turned out to be a soccer field (as we say in the US, or football everywhere else in the world).

At the match, I learned that Michael was one of the founders of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum which is a member driven organization that brings together land owners and resource users (from large-scale ranchers to small scale farmers) to tackle the challenges in the Laikipia ecosystem.

And the LWF  as it turns out, is one of the key sponsors of the “Laikipia And Beyond Unity Cup Football Tournament,”   held on a biennial basis.    LUC was created to utilize the power of sport  to bring together the diverse communities within Laikipia in a constructive spirit of peace and harmony, to build environmental awareness and deliver free health care to the communities of Laikipia.

Two years ago, the LUC brought together 32 teams in remote rural locations throughout the district during 5 separate three day weekends, thousands of people participated in environmental education sessions and activities, ranging from tree planting, town ‘clean up’s’ to water conservation activities and over 12,000 people received free medical treatment, primarily women and children.

At the game, the players, the volunteers and the children all stepped back from their daily hardship to enjoy being together.  Post game, Michael took me back to visit the medical clinic.  The lines were endless for the free aid, but it was so wonderful to see the local people taking advantage of the services provided by the volunteer doctors.  I have immense respect for the brave patients who literally had their teeth pulled in front of hundreds of people without any painkillers.  There was never screaming, only smiles, “asante sana” (thank you) and handshakes.

No matter where we walked, players, kids, patients, doctors and the organizer of SAFE, a show put on to communicate the importance of unity pre-election (picture of SAFE truck below), greeted Michael with smiles and hugs.  Even the cooks preparing dinner for the players happened to be cutting up some sheep that Michael had (of course) donated for the weekend.

While I may not have seen all the wildlife and adventure Borana has to offer, meeting Michael and his family, learning about the work that they do to give back, was one of the most inspiring experiences for me to date.  Please take some time to learn more about the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and the powerful impact the “Unity Cup” has on bringing people together through sport and for such a powerful purpose.

Borana isn’t such a bad place to vacation either. If you have a chance to pick Michael  and Nicky’s brain during your visit, I highly recommend doing so. Their energy and dedication is truly awe-inspiring.  It’s no surprise that they bring smiles to the faces of everyone, including me, around them.  I hope you have the chance to meet them and experience the great work that they do.

More about Laikipia Wildlife Forum, the Zeitz Foundation, the “Unity Cup” and other major sponsors:

Borana Lodge, Laikipia, North Central Kenya:  Rustic luxury lodges.  Built in 1993, the first eco-lodge in the Laikipia region and the first time I’ve had a door and windows since I  left Nairobi!  Outdoor seating area over looking the watering hole.  Pool, village and school visits, spa treatments in room,  horse back riding, hikes, mountain biking and game drives.  Also, Pride Rock which inspired Lion King is a short drive from the lodge.  There is a pride of 18 lions on the ranch.  Ngare Ndare Forest for hikes and rhino spotting.  Great place for families.  Spotty Wi-Fi in room.    Safari Link or Air Kenya to the Lewa airstrip.

  Michaela S Guzy most recently served as Vice President, overseeing the travel and development of new initiatives for all American Express Publishing brands – Travel+Leisure, Food&Wine, Executive Travel, Departures and Black Ink.

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